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Oliver Heaviside: The Life, Work, and Times of an Electrical Genius of the Victorian Age
Acclaimed biography of the pioneer of modern electrical theory featuring a new preface by author. "He was a man who often was incapable of conducting himself properly in the most elementary social interactions. His only continuing contacts with women were limited to his mother, nieces, and housekeepers. He was a man who knew the power of money and desired it, but refused to work for it, preferring to live off the sweat of his family and long-suffering friends, whom he often insulted even as they paid his bills."―Excerpt from the book This, then, was Oliver Heaviside, a pioneer of modern electrical theory. Born into a low social class of Victorian England, Heaviside made advances in mathematics by introducing the operational calculus; in physics, where he formulated the modern-day expressions of Maxwell's Laws of electromagnetism; and in electrical engineering, through his duplex equations. With a new preface by the author, this acclaimed biography will appeal to historians of technology and science, as well as to scientists and engineers who wish to learn more about this remarkable man.
360 pages, Paperback
First published December 31, 1987
About the author
Paul J. Nahin
46 books115 followersPaul J. Nahin is professor emeritus of electrical engineering at the University of New Hampshire and the author of many best-selling popular math books, including The Logician and the Engineer and Will You Be Alive 10 Years from Now? (both Princeton).
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 28, 2018
"Rigorous mathematics is narrow, physical mathematics is bold and broad" ~ Oliver Heaviside.
This is a bold and broad exploration of the life and work of Oliver Heaviside. I particularly liked chapter 10 on his operational calculus and the chapters on the theoretical aspects of Maxwell's theories and the telegraph equations. It's interesting to see the actual, original penciling of equations that I see daily. I don't really have much to say about this book except that it's utterly fascinating. I don't think that I'm done with this book. I need to study more theory of transmission lines to fully appreciate this book I think.
This is a bold and broad exploration of the life and work of Oliver Heaviside. I particularly liked chapter 10 on his operational calculus and the chapters on the theoretical aspects of Maxwell's theories and the telegraph equations. It's interesting to see the actual, original penciling of equations that I see daily. I don't really have much to say about this book except that it's utterly fascinating. I don't think that I'm done with this book. I need to study more theory of transmission lines to fully appreciate this book I think.
January 27, 2014
I first encountered Paul Nahin when I read his book "An Imaginary Tale," which I greatly enjoyed. So the combination of his authorship and the subject of Oliver Heaviside compelled me to want to read this book. And I was not disappointed.
Heaviside is responsible for the vector form of Maxwell's equations. That much I knew going into this. What I didn't know what how brilliant a mathematical physicist Heaviside was. From his story, as presented by Nahin, one can only wonder just where Heaviside would rate among the greatest physicists of all time had he been less irascible and a bit more pedagogical in his writing style.
It is clear that Nahin holds great affection for Heaviside and that shows in both his treatment of Oliver's accomplishments and his rivals, most notably William Henry Preece. Nahin does seem to take great care, however, to paint as realistic a picture of the man as possible weaving his writings together with his biography.
A compelling feature of the book is the Tech Notes that Nahin adds to the end of each chapter. These are aimed to the advanced reader and illustrate the concepts covered in the chapter they decorate.
If you've studied Maxwell's equation or are simply interested in the history of physics, I highly recommend you add this book to your reading list.
Heaviside is responsible for the vector form of Maxwell's equations. That much I knew going into this. What I didn't know what how brilliant a mathematical physicist Heaviside was. From his story, as presented by Nahin, one can only wonder just where Heaviside would rate among the greatest physicists of all time had he been less irascible and a bit more pedagogical in his writing style.
It is clear that Nahin holds great affection for Heaviside and that shows in both his treatment of Oliver's accomplishments and his rivals, most notably William Henry Preece. Nahin does seem to take great care, however, to paint as realistic a picture of the man as possible weaving his writings together with his biography.
A compelling feature of the book is the Tech Notes that Nahin adds to the end of each chapter. These are aimed to the advanced reader and illustrate the concepts covered in the chapter they decorate.
If you've studied Maxwell's equation or are simply interested in the history of physics, I highly recommend you add this book to your reading list.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews